Apparatus for shipping and storing foodstuffs and the like



April 27; 1954 w. L. MORRISON Filed Dec. 26, 1951 APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING AND STORING FOODETUFFS AND THE LIKE fzfarneys Patented Apr. 27,; 1954 APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING AND STORING FOODSTUFFS AND THE LIKE- Willard L. Morrison, Lake Forest, 111., assignor to Union Stock Yards &' Transit Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 26, 1951, Serial No. 263,310

11 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in the simultaneous shipment and storage of combustible hydrocarbon gases and commodities requiring chilling.

I propose to fill a portable container with a body of liquefied hydrocarbon gas such as methane, the temperature of which in a liquid condition is 253 degrees F. I propose to hold this liquefied gas in an insulated. receiver at substantially atmospheric pressure". Under these circumstances there will be a constant evaporation in gaseous form from the liquid mass at substantially the same temperature as the liquid. I propose to associate with the portable gas container, a portable container for foodstuffs and the like and to use the cold gas as it is evaporated from the liquid as a coolant to cool the chamber in which the foodstuffs and the like are stored.

This will result in raising the temperature of the gas' and the gas will thereafter be used to furnish the motive power to propel the two containers to a common destination.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawing.

I is a barge containing one or more insulated tanks 2, which tanks are adapted to contain liquefied methane. on the barge. t is a pipe leading from the tank to a burner 5 beneath a boiler 8. engine adapted to receive motive steam from the boiler ii. 8 is a heat exchanger through which the gas passes on its way from the tank to the burner.

9 indicates a pipe system through which a eutectic may be circulated by a pump it, driven by steam from boiler 6 through pipe I2, controlled by valve H, the eutectic passing around the cold storage chamber to cool the contents thereof. The steam engine '5, receiving steam from the boiler through pipe ll controlled by valve it drives a propeller to propel the barge and the cold storage container to a point of use.

It is a safety valve for the boiler. i i is a pipe leading, from the tank to and so disposed that a releasable connection may be made with it to a pipe I5 on the shore when it is desired to supply gas for discharge from the tank to the shore for storage or use. It is a distribution valve which may be manipulated to vary relative amounts of evaporated. gas fed to the burner and tc-discharge from the. vehicle or barge.

The use and operation of my invention are asfollows:

3 is a cold storage chamber l is a steam- The tank is filled with cold liquefied highly volatile hydrocarbon by any suitable means. As the liquefied hydrocarbon evaporates, the tank being under substantially atmospheric pressure, the liquid hydrocarbon passes out through the tank tothe burner. There it is burned, generating steam in the boiler to propel the barge to any suitable point where the cold storage chamber is loaded with foodstuffs and the like.

The gas as it leaves the tank is at very low temperature and it must be warmed before it reaches the burner. The" heat exchanger accomplishes this and at the same time cools the cold storage receptacle.

Fhe gas as gas evaporated off from the liquefied gas is constantly discharged from the tank or receiver. Therefore, there is a continuous supply of fuel for the burner under the boiler and a continuous supply of steam from the boiler to operate the engine to circulate the eutectic through the heat exchanger and through the cooling coils associated with the cold chamber. Therefore, the cold chamber will always be cold as long as there is any liquefied hydrocarbon in the receiver.

Assumingthat the tank is filled with the liquefied hydrocarbon, the barge can be propelled by the steam engine and propeller to a point where food; fruit or the like may be loaded into the cold chamber. Then the barge with its load of combustible fuel and cold storage foodstuffs will be propelled to the point where the food is to be used. Food may be discharged from the cold chamber and the gas as it evaporates off may be carried through a line on the shore to a point where the gas is burnt until the receiver is dis charged as far as desired when the residual gas not yet discharged may be used to return the emptybarge to the starting point.

Since the flow in commerce of combustible gas and foodstuffs are ordinarily along parallel lines in the same direction, foodstuffs, such as fruit, being from the South and combustible gas originating in the South and being needed as fuel in the Chicago market, the gas and food or fruit can come together from the South to the North Where both are needed. Thus the ioodstuifs can be kept under cold storage without any refrigerating machinery and the fuel gas may be conveyed to the market without the use of pipe lines.

I have illustrated my invention as used in connection with a vehicle comprising a water borne barge but the particular type of vehicle is of small consequence. It might be a truck adapted to travel along the road or a railroad car adapted to travel along the railroad and also instead of having the tank for the gas, the cold storage chamber for the food and the boiler and propelling mechanism all on one unit of the vehicle, they might equally well be arranged in train, the point being that they all travel together and work together as a unit to convey the refrigerated foodstuffs or the like and the liquefied volatile gas and make use of the evaporated gas from the liquid mass to furnish the propulsive motor power. By the term vehicle I mean to indicate whatever unit or assembly of units are used together to support and convey the entire assembly.

Iclaim:

1. In combination, a vehicle, a tank carried thereby adapted to contain liquefied, cold highly volatile, gas fuel at atmospheric pressure, a cold chamber carried by the vehicle, a eutectic circulating system associated with and adapted to cool the cold chamber, a heat exchanger through which the eutectic may circulate and through which gas evaporated from the liquid may pass whereby the eutectic is cooled, a burner adapted to burn gas after ithas passed through the heat exchanger, a boiler adapted to be fired by the burner, means for propelling the vehicle and means for circulating the eutectic, said means adapted to receive their motive power from the steam generated by the boiler.

2. In combination, a vehicle, a tank carried thereby adapted to contain liquefied, cold highly volatile, gas fuel at atmospheric pressure, a cold chamber carried by the vehicle, a eutectic circulating system associated with and adapted to cool the cold chamber, a heat exchanger through which the eutectic may circulate and through which gas evaporated from the liquid may pass whereby the eutectic is cooled, a burner adapted to burn gas after it has passed through the heat exchanger, a boiler adapted to be fired by the burner, means for propelling the vehicle and means for circulating the eutectic, said means adapted to receive their motive power from the steam generated by the boiler, means for discharging into the atmosphere surplus steam generated in the boiler whereby no control of the rate of flow of gas to the burner is needed.

3. In combination, a vehicle, a tank carried thereby adapted to contain liquefied, cold highly volatile, gas fuel at atmospheric pressure, a cold chamber carried by the vehicle, a eutectic circulating system associated with and adapted to cool the cold chamber, a heat exchanger through which the eutectic may circulate and through which gas evaporated from the liquid may pass whereby the eutectic is cooled, a burner adapted to burn gas after it has passed through the heat exchanger, a boiler adapted to be fired by the burner, means for propelling the vehicle and means for circulating the eutectic, said means adapted to receive their motive power from the steam generated by the boiler, means for discharging into the atmosphere surplus steam generated in the boiler whereby no control of the rate of flow of gas to the burner is needed, a separable means adapted to discharge gas from'the vehicle.

4. In combination, a vehicle, a tank carried thereby adapted to contain liquefied, cold highly volatile gas fuel at atmospheric pressure, a cold chamber carried by the vehicle, a eutectic circulating system associated with and adapted to cool the cold chamber, a heat exchanger through which the eutectic may circulate and through which gas evaporated from the liquid may pass 4 whereby the eutectic is cooled, a burner adapted to burn gas after it has passed through the heat exchanger, a boiler adapted to be fired by the burner, means for propelling the vehicle and means for circulating the eutectic, said means adapted to receive their motive power from the steam generated by the boiler, means for discharging into the atmosphere surplus steam generated in the boiler whereby no control of the rate of flow of gas to the burner is needed, a separable means adapmd to discharge gas from the vehicle and means for adjusting the relative flow of gas from the tank to the burner and to the gas discharge means.

5. In combination, a vehicle, a cold storage chamber and a gas receiver carried thereby, the receiver being adapted to contain at atmospheric pressure a mass of liquefied cold, highly volatile fuel whereby there is a continuous evaporation of gas from the liquid, a power source and means for conducting the evaporated gas from the receiver thereto to propel the vehicle, means for extracting heat from the cold storage chamber to cool the chamber and raise the temperature of the evaporated gas on its way to the power source, said means comprising a refrigeration circuit including cold elements associated with the chamber and a heat exchange means through which the evaporated gas may pass, a eutectic adapted to circulate through the refrigerating system and means for using the combustible evaporated gas to provide the power to circulate the eutectic.

6. In combination a cold storage chamber, a gas receiver adapted to contain a mass of liquid highly volatile fuel at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature substantially below the temperature desired in the storage chamber, a power source, means for conducting fuel, which has evaporated from the liquid mass, in gaseous form, without substantial change in pressure, to the power source for combustion and generation of power therein, means for conducting heat from the cold storage chamber to the fuel conducting means, whereby the cold storage chamber is cooled and the gaseous fuel on its way to the power source is heated.

7. In combination a cold storage chamber, a gas receiver adapted to contain a mass of highly volatile fuel at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature substantially below the temperature desired in the storage chamber, a power source,

means for conducting fuel, which has evaporated from the liquid mass, in gaseous form, without substantial change in pressure, to the power source for combustion and generation of power therein, means for conducting heat from the cold storage chamber to the fuel conducting means, whereby the cold storage chamber is cooled and the gaseous fuel on its way to the power source is heated, the heat conducting means including cold elements associated with the storage chamber, a heat exchanger through which the gaseous fuel passes, ducts joining the cold elements and heat exchanger in series and means for circulating a Y eutectic through the closed circuit thus formed.

power source for combustion and generation of power therein, means for conducting heat from the cold storage chamber to the fuel conducting means, whereby the cold storage chamber is cooled and the gaseous fuel on its way to the power source is heated, the gas receiver being so related to the cold storage chamber, that heat flow between the storage chamber and the liquid fuel mass is prevented.

9. In combination a cold storage chamber, a gas receiver adapted to contain a mass of liquid highly volatile fuel at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature substantially below the temperature desired in the storage chamber, a power source, means for conducting fuel, which has evaporated from the liquid mass, in gaseous form, without substantial change in pressure, to the power source for combustion and generation of power therein, means for conducting heat from the cold storage chamber to the fuel conducting means, whereby the cold storage chamber is cooled and the gaseous fuel on its way to the power source is heated, the heat conducting means including cold elements associated with the storage chamber, a heat exchanger through which the gaseous fuel passes, ducts joining the cold elements and heat exchanger in series and means for circulating a eutectic through the closed circuit thus formed, a vessel supporting the receiver, the cold storage chamber, the power source and the associated elements, propulsion means for the vessel, driving connections between the power source, the propulsion means and the eutectic circulating means.

10. In combination a cold storage chamber for foodstuffs and the like, a gas receiver adapted to contain a mass of liquefied highly volatile fuel, at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature far below freezing, a power source, a vehicle on which they are supported for movement as a unit, the mass of liquid being subject to evaporation without change in pressure and temperature as heat enters the mass, means for conducting the fuel evaporated from the mass, in gaseous form, to the power source for combustion and generation of power therein, a heat exchanger through which the gaseous fuel passes on its way to the power source, cold elements associated with the cold storage chamber, ducts joining the heat exchanger and the cold elements in series, means for circulating a eutectic through the heat exchanger, ducts and cold elements the power source being adapted to propel the vehicle and actuate the eutectic circulating means.

11. In combination a cold storage chamber for foodstuffs and the like, a gas receiver adapted to contain a mass of liquefied highly volatile fuel, at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature far below freezing, a power source, a vehicle on which they are supported for movement as a unit, the mass of liquid being subject to evaporation without change in pressure and temperature as heat enters the mass, means for conducting the fuel evaporated from the mass, in gaseous form, to the power source for combustion and generation of power therein, a heat exchanger through which the gaseous fuel passes on its way to the power source, cold elements associated with the cold storage chamber, ducts joining the heat exchanger and the cold elements in series, means for circulating a eutectic through the heat exchanger, ducts and cold elements the power source being adapted to propel the vehicle and actuate the eutectic circulating means, the liquid fuel mass being separate from and insulated from the temperature of the cold storage chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,905,971 Dav'isson Apr. 25, 1933 2,082,850 Schlumbohn June 8, 1937 2,100,474 Fish Nov. 30, 1937 2,120,166 Tonkin June 7, 1938 

